A furious passenger refused to leave the plane after the airline double-booked his seat.
The man was embroiled in a heated row with cabin crew for nearly an hour.
He was attempting to fly to Los Angeles, California, US from the Colombian capital Bogotá when flight attendants told him his seat was unavailable.
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He told staff of Avianca, Colombia’s largest airline, that he bought his ticket three months in advance.
In a video filmed by another passenger, the man says: “Don’t be disrespectful, is my money worthless?
“Don’t give me bad options, I need to get there.
“I’m a lawyer, you should respect me.
“I paid for it, they deducted it from my card, you haven’t given me anything, it wasn’t a favour!”
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He added: “It seems disrespectful to me that you would sell something you don’t have.
“And film what you want, I hope I become famous.”
As the passenger was refusing to leave the plane, flight attendants threatened to call the police.
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He replied: “Good, I hope the prosecutor’s office comes because I want to file a report.
“You can’t be playing with people’s plans.”
In the end, the man decided to leave the plane out of consideration for the other passengers.
His gesture was applauded by those present on the plane.
The person who filmed the clip said the police didn’t arrive and the man left the aircraft of his own free will, as reported by What’s the Jam.
In Colombia, the Civil Aviation Authority regulates the selling of flight tickets.
However, Colombian Aeronautical Regulations (RAC) state that the airline should offer the affected passenger an option to reach their final destination on the same date and route.
If an agreement is not reached with the customer, the airline must compensate them with a minimum of 30% of the ticket’s value.
It’s unclear if the man was offered an alternative route by Avianca staff.
Avianca has been approached for comment.
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